Louisiana lawmakers double down on fee schedule bill

Louisiana lawmakers presented a second bill this legislative season that would create a medical fee schedule for workers compensation.

S.B. 213, introduced Friday, calls on the state to create and regularly update a fee schedule for several medical service codes, including those pertaining to physical medicine, radiology and surgeries.

The fee schedule would be calculated based on geographic cost indexes and other reimbursements set by group health. The bill states that fees for some services “shall be established at a rate not to exceed the mean of the charges for a minimum of thirty facilities in Louisiana providing the same or similar care.”

The latest bill follows the introduction of H.B. 117, filed March 25, which states that such a fee schedule “shall be reasonable when compared to the workers compensation reimbursement schedule” of surrounding states.

That measure also calls on regulators to examine “potential” administrative and procedural relief for health care providers to ensure expedited care and payment, and processes to expand medical markets to increase access to patient care.

The two bills follow several unsuccessful attempts in recent years to create a workers comp fee schedule in Louisiana.